The 7-part series, Whale Wars, filmed over three months in 2007 and 2008 documents the nearly annual campaign of Captain Paul Watson and the crew of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ship the Steve Irwin as they battle Japanese whale hunters off the coast of Antarctica. The laws in international waters are applied inconsistently by different countries. Japanese whaling ships claim to be hunting in the name of research, even prominently displaying the English word "research" on the sides of their ships. Sea Shepherd contends that the Japanese research vessels are a cover for commercial whaling.